Peanut-picker.



12J, THEUS. PEANUT PICKER.

APPLICATION IILED 0CT.20,1911.

1,022,342. Patented Apr. 2, 1912.

annu/tto@ COLUMBIA PLANouRMn co .wAamNaToN. D. C.

P. J. THEUS.

PEANUT PICKER.

APPLIoATloN FILED oo'r. 2o, 1911.

1 ,022,342, Patented Apr. 2, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

y j I Grrmw COLUMBIA PLANOGIAPH C0-WA3HINDTON. D\

P. J. THEUS.

PEANUT PICKER.

APPLIOATION I-LLBD ooT.2o,1911.

1,022,342. 1 Patented Apr. 2, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

gmane/nto@ PJTM@ Y PAUL J. THEUS, OF OCALA, FLORIDA..

PEANUT-PICKER.

Application filed October 20, 1911.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2, 1912.

Serial No. 655,766.

To all fwlwm it may concern:

Be it known that I, Para, J. TnnUs, a citi- Zen of the United States,residing at Ocala, in the county of Marion and State of Florida, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Peanut-Pickers, of whichthe following is a specication.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for picking peanutsor the like, and particularly for stripping the peanuts from the vinesafter the vines have been pulled up.

One object of the invention is to provide a device of this characterwhereby the peanuts will be stripped from the vines in a clean, wholecondition, and the liability of breaking or cutting them reduced to aminimum.

Another object is to provide a peanut stripping machine which is simplein construction, and one which will require very little labor to operateit.

A further object is to provide an intermittently driven rotatablestripper whereby the peanuts may be .fed when the stripper isstationary.

These and other objects will be apparent from the following descriptionand with particular reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine, Fig. 2 isa top plan view, Fig. 3 is an end elevation, Fig. t is a verticaltransverse section on the line 11 of Fig'. 1, Fig. 5 is a verticallongitudinal. section on the line 5-53 of Fig. 2, F G is a fragmentarydetail of a modified form of the rotary stripper, Fig. 7 is a f'agmentary detail of a further modification of the rotary stripper, andFig. S is a detail of a staight continuous gearing.

Vteferring particularly to the drawings it will be seen that the machinecomprises a frame including the semi-circular side boards 10 connectedtogether' at their lower portions by the cross braces 11, and supportedby the legs 12, which are secured to the boards 10 at opposite ends,said legs being suitably spaced apart by the braces 13. Secured over theupper curved edges of the boards 10 is a wire screen 14, secured theretoby any suitable means, as the staples 15. AS clearly shown this wirescreen extends from one end of the curved edge of the boards across thetop of the machine and to the other end, the size of the screen beingsufficient for the passage of peanuts therethrough. Secured centrally toeach of the straight lower edges of the boards 10 is a block 16 in whichblocks are journaled the rounded trunnion ends 17 of the shaft 18, oneend of the said shaft being provided with a sprocket wheel 19. Mountedon one of the legs 12 in a suitable bearing block 20 is the shaft 21,which carries a smaller sprocket wheel 22, over which, and over thesprocket 19 passes a sprocket chain 23. On the shaft 21, adjacent thesprocket 22 is a gear 21 provided with the notches 22. On a shaft 23mounted below the shaft 21 is a single toothed gear 24.', the tooth ofwhich is adapted for engagement in the notches 22, so that anintermittent rotary movement is imparted to the rotary stripper, topermit the ready insertion of the peanuts through the screen during thestationary periods of the stripper. On one end of the shaft 23 is acrank 26 which ist connected by ,means of the link 27 to a treadle 28pivotally mounted at 29 at the opposite end of the machine. On theopposite end of the shaft 223 is a fly wheel 241 provided with asuitable crank handle 25 to rotate the same. It will thus be seen thatthe machine may be operated by hand or by foot, or by a suitable inotor,by providing the pulley 26 so that both hands may be used to feed thevines through the machine.

Extending radially from eachA end of the shaft 18 are the spokes 30, andsecured to the ends of each set of spokes is a hoop or ring 31, saidspokes being ot' such length as to permit the said rings to rotateconcentrically of and close under the wire screen 1st. Secured to therings 31 and extending tlwrebetween are the bars 32, at suitably spacedintervals around said rings.

In the operation of the device, the vines which have been pulled arefirst shaken to remove the greater portion of the earth and thenpresented to the machine by holding the vines in such manner that thepeanuts pass through the meshes of the screen. At the same time therotary stripper is rotated which causes the bars 32 to engage thepeanuts at or nearly by their stem portions,

dragging them against the wires of the screen and pulling the stems offso that the peanuts may drop through the screen to the ground or becaught in a suitable receptacle, not shown.

Referring particularly to Fig. 6 it will be seen that I pro-vide aplurality of groups oi bars 32', said bars being secured to the rings,parallel to each other, but diagonally across the rings, so that ashearing action will take place when said bars engage the peanuts sothat the stems will be drawn into the angle formed by the straight crossmembers of the screens and the diagonal bars to more readily break thestelns'and remove the peanuts. T he idea in this form is to present thepeanuts through the screen and between the bars 32 when one ot' thegroups comes in register with the screen.

ln the modification shown in Fig. 7 the bars 32 and 32l are supplementedby the wire screen 32 which is stretched across the rings 31, theopenings of which are about twice the size of those of the screen 14. Itdesired a plain gearing may be employed, such as illustrated in Fig. 8,so that the rotation of the stripper will be continuous instead ofintermittent.

From the foregoing it will readily be seen that with a deviceconstructed as shown and described, it is simple in construction and canbe operated with very little labor. It will also be noted that byextending the screen 14 over the top and end of the machine, the vinescan be presented at several places at once, thus greatly increasing thecapacity and output of the machine.

The bars 32 and 32 have blunt operating edges, so that the danger ofcutting the peanuts is reduced to a minimum, the action being to shearthe stem between the bars and the cross members of the screen so thatthe stems will be more readily broken. Should the bars engage thepeanuts at any other place than the stem portion the nuts would bedragged so that the stem would be snapped.

What I claim is:

l. A peanut stripping machine compris-l ing a stationary open-workelement a rotating open-work stripping element, and intermittent drivingmeans for the latter, whereby said rotating element is at timesstationary and in register with the stationary element.

2. ln a peanut stripping machine, acurved stationary open-work element,a rotating member haring its periphery concentric with and adjacent thestationary element, diagonally arranged stripper bars mountedtransversely on the rotating member for coaction with the stationaryelement to engage the stems of peanuts, and means i'or intermittentlyrotating the rotating member, whereby the rotating member is at timesstationary and in register with the stationary element.

3. A peanut stripping machine comprising a stationary open-work element,a rotating stripping element disposed in close concentric relationthereto, said rotating element including a shaft, parallel rings securedthereto, a plurality of groups of bars on the rings arranged inparallelism with each other, said groups of bars being arrangeddiagonally with respect to the stationary element, and means forintermittently rotating the stripping element, whereby the strippingelement is stationary and in register with the stationary element, attimes, and produces a shearing action between the stationary androtating elements when the latter is in motion.

ln testimony whereof lf affix my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses.

PAUL J. THEUS.

Vitnesses HARRY M. TEST, FRANCIS BoYLE.

Copies of Ithis patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

